From Rosh Hashana with love

Braided challah is a traditional Jewish bread.

Rosh Hashana, a two-day celebration of the Jewish New Year, comes early this year, beginning Wednesday evening.

Even though my mother is Jewish, we never celebrated Rosh Hashana.

Only after I started catering a yearly Rosh Hashana gig while working in Atlanta did this holiday become firmly implanted in my consciousness. I catered a family's celebration for 10 years. And what a celebration it was!

The crowd was usually pretty large - about 45 people each year. The hostess told me she intended to prepare many of the dishes herself, including an amazing assortment of sweets for dessert.

She also had specific ideas of what she wanted me to prepare and had done extensive research. She pored over issues of Bon Appétit, Gourmet and Food & Wine magazines and then presented me with a folder of her requested recipes.

This was a departure from my normal mode of catering, as cooking from other people's recipes is not something I had done for years. But I liked her and figured I would give it a shot. Between the two of us, there would usually be no fewer than 20 dishes on her table. That does not include the dozen or more desserts she prepared without my help.

Her Rosh Hashana table was one of the most amazing spreads I have ever seen.

While I helped plate my food, I observed all of the delicious amazing dishes she had made and always felt this was truly a feast fit for your most beloved family and friends.

When someone cooks with love, it is always evident. And that's what she did.

During those years, I observed some culinary traditions that made their way into the holiday every year.

Rosh Hashana is the start of the new year, and a time for a fresh start. There are certain foods that signify the start of the holiday.

Rosh Hashana literally means "head of the year," so in some traditions, a fish head appears on the table during dinner. Honey and apples are eaten at the start of the meal to signify wishes for a sweet year for all gathered.

Should you be invited to a Rosh Hashana celebration, you will note that many of the foods on the table are more on the sweet side and bitter or sour foods are usually avoided.

For instance, gefilte fish is served on Passover with copious amounts of horseradish. During Rosh Hashana, you might still be served gefilte fish, but the horseradish will be conspicuously missing from the table. Nothing sour should spoil the prospect of a sweet new year.

Pomegranates are also served, because they are symbolic of life due to the abundant seed count in each fruit.

There is also a custom to eat a new fruit - something seasonal, but which has not yet been enjoyed this year. For many, pomegranates in September would fit that description.

And Rosh Hashana is definitely not complete without loaves of challah. The braided egg bread is traditionally served in a round form on this holiday to signify the circle of the year. Raisins are often added for extra sweetness.

I have a few out-of-the-norm suggestions for a Rosh Hashana dinner.

As you are going to have apples, honey and challah anyway, why not make a caramelized apple and honey bread pudding? Challah makes the best French toast, so it makes sense that it will make a fine bread pudding, as well.

If you are planning to serve gefilte fish, try it with a sweet mango salsa. You might surprise your family, your guests, and even the fish itself.

Pomegranates are so delicious that they deserve a bigger role at your meal. Think about sprinkling pomegranate seeds on your salad as a garnish or making a pomegranate gelee, sort of a Jell-O with pomegranate juice and kosher gelatin.

Whatever you are cooking, especially for a holiday, here is my No. 1 tip: Think about those you are cooking for. Cook for them as if it was their last meal.

In short, cook with love. If you do, your food is guaranteed to be delicious.